Pieza, a new genus of microbombyliids from the New World (Diptera: Mythicomyiidae)
Author
Evenhuis, Neal L.
text
Zootaxa
2002
36
1
28
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.156131
a29598a7-751c-44cc-977c-46fac8e08ba6
11755326
156131
94019BF0-9364-4591-8CBD-D65119CAFE71
Pieza dominicana
,
sp. nov
.
Female (
Fig. 11
). Length:
1.05 mm
.
Head
. Dark brown to black, occiput not appreciably developed posteriorly. Eyes dichoptic; ocelli forming a narrow triangle; lateral ocellus 1.5 its diameter from inner eye margin; frons slightly longer than wide, depressed medially, upper half of front with dark hair; antenna black, scape minute; pedicel slightly wider than long; first flagellomere short, ovoid, broadest at or slightly beyond middle, slightly longer than wide; length of second flagellomere equal to width of first flagellomere; proboscis black, projecting beyond oral margin for distance much greater than head height; occiput with sparse black hairs.
Thorax
. Mesonotum and scutellum dark brown, without contrasting yellow color; pleura black, coxae and legs dark brown; apical tarsal segments black; halter with stem brown, knob yellowishbrown.
Wing
. Hyaline; veins brown; costa ending at onethird distance form end of vein R4+5 to M1; cells r4+5 and m1 subequal in width at wing margin; vein R2+3 arising at nearly 90°; discal cell narrowed apically; vein at base of cell m1 shorter than rm crossvein.
Abdomen
. Dark brown; all tergites without pale colored fasciae on posterior margins; dorsum with scattered minute pale hairs; venter brown.
Genitalia
. Not dissected.
Male
. Unknown.
FIGURE 11
. Habitus of
Pieza dominicana
,
sp. nov.
in amber.
Types
.
Holotype
female,
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
: Miocene: provenance unknown, DR111 (
AMNH
). The
holotype
is the only inclusion in a piece that measures 6
13 mm
and has been cut, polished, and mounted in artificial resin.
Remarks
. Only known from the unique
holotype
. Although one other species of
Mythicomyiidae
[
Glabellula kuehnei
(
Schlüter 1976
)
] is also known from these deposits (
Evenhuis 1994
), the presence of the genus
Pieza
in the Miocene of
the Dominican
Republic (dating from
IturraldeVinent and MacPhee 1996
) is still rather remarkable given that the habitat of this region in the Miocene was probably sylvan and moist (
Poinar and Poinar 1999
) — much different than the preferred arid to semiarid habitat of mythicomyiids worldwide. The author has at hand one specimen of an undescribed species of
Mythicomyia
also from these deposits (which is being described elsewhere). With these records of amber mythicomyiines, the minimum age of this subfamily in the New World can be placed in the Miocene.
Etymology
. The specific epithet refers to the
type
locality.
Distribution
. Known only from the Miocene amber of
the Dominican
Republic.